Lymphoma Research Foundation Awards More than $1 Million In Young Investigator Grants at Forefront of Lymphoma Research

Applications for 2018 research grants are now open and will be accepted until September

LRF Career Development Award (CDA) recipient, Lauren McLaughlin, MD, of Children’s Research Institute/Children’s National Medical Center

The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) – the nation’s largest non-profit organization devoted exclusively to funding innovative lymphoma research and serving the lymphoma community through a comprehensive series of education programs, outreach initiatives and patient services –announced that it will award nearly $1 million in grant funding to 10 early-career researchers, as a part of its Clinical Investigator Career Development Awards (CDA) and first-of-its-kind Lymphoma Clinical Research Mentoring Program (LCRMP). Four CDA recipients and six LCRMP participants, known as LRF Scholars, were selected from a historically competitive field of applicants, all of whom are clinical fellows and junior faculty who are approaching the transition to faculty or in the first few years of their faculty position.

“The Lymphoma Research Foundation supports early career scientists not just to support the next generation of lymphoma research but because these scientists are already pursuing questions that will be crucial to a better understanding of lymphoma biology and therapies that will translate into improvement in patient outcomes,” says Leo I. Gordon, MD, FACP of Robert H. Lurie Cancer Center at Northwestern University, the Chair of LRF’s Scientific Advisory Board.

The Lymphoma Research Foundation awarded four CDAs, the highest number to-date for a single grant cycle. This year’s recipients include, Lauren McLaughlin, MD, of Children’s Research Institute/Children’s National Medical Center, Jose Caetano Villasboas, MD of Mayo Clinic, Rochester, and Victor Yazbeck, MD of Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and Alex F. Herrera, MD of Beckman Research Institute of the City of Hope, who was awarded the Larry and Denise Mason Career Development Award, for projects benefiting a broad range of lymphoma patients.

This year’s research portfolio also includes allocations for the fourth class of grantees for the highly competitive Lymphoma Clinical Research Mentoring Program. This unique program offers mentoring and education to hematology/oncology fellows and junior faculty dedicated to clinical research in the field of non-Hodgkin and Hodgkin lymphoma. Program participants, called LRF Scholars, attend and participate in a week long intensive introductory workshop and follow-up programming intended to enhance their abilities to successfully design and administer clinical research studies and secure future grant funding. This year’s class includes Hema Dave, MD of Children’s Research Institute/Children’s National Medical Center, Justine M. Kahn, MD of Columbia University Medical Center, Neha MehtaShah, MD of Washington University Medical School in Saint Louis, Sarah Rutherford, MD of Weill Cornell Medicine, Jacob Soumerai, MD of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Ashley D. Staton, MD of Winship Cancer Institute at Emory University.

“The Lymphoma Research Foundation is pleased to announce such a historical investment in young investigators,” said Meghan Gutierrez, LRF Chief Executive Officer. “As federal funds continue to decrease, receiving a Lymphoma Research Foundation grant provides funding at a crucial stage in a young scientist’s career, and through LRF’s unique commitment to young investigators, we are ensuring that the brightest minds in oncology remain committed to the study of lymphoma for the benefit of lymphoma patients everywhere.”

Applications for the 2018 Research Grants, including Clinical Investigator Career Development Awards and Lymphoma Clinical Research Mentoring Program are now open and must be received before September 6, 2017. Grantees of the CDA must spend at least 35 percent of their time in independent clinical research and select an institutional mentor to be eligible for the $225,000 award. LCRMP Scholars receive a $10,000 award to support travel to conferences, tuition, and other professional development expenses.

For more information about lymphoma or the Foundation’s research portfolio, visit: lymphoma.org/research.

About the Lymphoma Research Foundation
The Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF) is the nation’s largest non-profit organization devoted to funding innovative research and serving the lymphoma community through a comprehensive series of education programs, outreach initiatives and patient services. To date, LRF has awarded nearly $60 million in lymphoma-specific research. For additional information on LRF’s research, education and services, visit lymphoma.org.

Contact:
Jake DiGregorio
508-414-8853
jdigregorio@lymphoma.org